We'll Outshine the Sun
by Willowbright
Summary: Welcome to Club Velvet! Let us start the dance! Makoto and Ren. Fever Time Dance. Casino Stage. It's not every night you experience a shared dream where you're Dancing All Night between dream and reality, mind and matter. Might as well make the most of it! For Makoto Niijima Week 2019: Throwback Week Broadening Horizons


**We'll Outshine the Sun**

* * *

**_Welcome to Club Velvet! Let us start the dance!_**

* * *

Downtown Shibuya. It was midday and curiously, the streets were not bustling with waves of people moving to and fro, forming a large clearing at central square. Stranger still, people that were there seemed to be frozen on the sidewalks as if time had stopped. They were all simple silhouettes, a minimalist backdrop for the dancer whose stage extended to the scramble crossing. At the center of the concrete jungle, Ren warmed up. He began with a few neck stretches while adjusting the headphones slung around his neck. He brushed the dust off his left forearm, then the lapels on his jacket. He tapped his right foot to the beat of the music, then kicking out his left leg, he started the dance routine...

A polished red marble floor illuminated by stage lights and garish neon signs. Slot machines and artificial palm trees formed a luminous, circular boundary around the stage. Playing cards rained down like confetti from a brightly lit ceiling. Two spotlights swiveled and centered on the dancer standing on stage. Cross. Jab. Cross. Kick. As the music slowed down, Makoto pulled at her red gloves - A familiar action of a certain someone's precursor to an All Out Attack. She smiled to herself. _I don't really have experience dancing, but this is necessary. If I practice efficiently, it should work out somehow. I'll catch the rhythm, grasp the timing, and drill my skills! _She popped and locked her arms to the beat of the music and shuffled across the floor. She felt more sure of herself with each repetition, each improvement made to her footwork and pacing, each time she did that little jig in the middle of the dance floor. The more she thought of her dancing like practicing Aikido, the more confident her movements became.

"Alright!" She pumped her fist in self-congratulation - another familiar action of a certain special someone.

After both finished their solo dance routines they headed to Club Velvet's VIP room. Makoto and Ren walked past each other at a brisk pace before realizing they had passed a familiar face. They turned around simultaneously. Ren smiled in greeting. Makoto felt a blush rise to her face and smiled back. He always looked happy to see her.

"Ren, did you just finish your dance too?"

"Yeah, I was just about to grab some things from my room before heading back."

How a replica of each of the Phantom Thieves' bedroom connected to Club Velvet was not to be questioned at the moment. It just made sense for some odd reason.

"Oh, same here. I thought I'd also change before the next King Crazy challenge."

In two wide strides, he crossed over to where she stood. Fractals of light danced over them from the humongous half-dome disco ball that hung at the center of Club Velvet's ceiling, as if it was supposed to representing the moon.

"Hey, look." he chuckled, nodding at their red scarfs. "We match."

He reached over and took her hand, grinning widely. If Shujin High School was a punk-rock music school, Ren and Makoto would be the quintessential models for the school uniforms.

"Y-yeah." She looked down shyly and tucked her hair behind her ear. She looked at their shoes and laughed. "Not to mention our gloves and boots!"

She held up her other hand. Ren took it and leaned close.

"Since we're here together, wanna practice our Fever Time dance?"

Her eyes shone with unbridled enthusiasm. "Yes, I'd like that! I always feel I'm at my best when we dance together."

He blushed crimson and coughed into his fist in an attempt to regain his composure. "Cool. This'll be fun. Meet me on the Casino Stage?"

Makoto laughed pleasantly, like chimes in the summer wind. "I was just there! But, okay. See you then."

...

She watched him dance as she warmed up with arm cross pulls and tricep stretches. His movements were swift and fluid and he really seemed to like kicking his leg in the air. Makoto leaned against one of the slot machines, wondering if she'd be able to match his pace. Ren pirouetted across the dance floor then swiveled towards her, his eyes completely fixated on her.

"May I have this dance?"

With an elegant twist of his wrist, he held his hand out in invitation. She felt warmth bubbling in her chest.

"You may."

She placed her palm in his. His fingers closed over hers as he stood and pulled her towards him. Faster than she could blink, Ren spun and dipped her low, with his arms fully supporting her back. Their noses could have touched and if she tilted her head back, her hair would brush the floor. Or if she tilted forward, she could kiss him. His warm gaze was upon her and it made her smile all the more.*

"Wah! You caught me!" She felt breathless and giddy and a little bit bashful, so she turned and hid her face in his chest. He lifted her back up and slid a hand down the curve of her spine as she stabilized herself and threw her hands over his shoulders.

He bumped her nose and asked, "Well, I think that's enough of a warm up. Ready?"

She twirled out of his arms and strutted to the middle of the dance floor. The spotlight fell on her and she positioned herself, waiting for the music. "Here we go. Wait for the signal." she called.

"Of course. This is your dance." With a grand sweep of his arm he turned and walked off stage, waiting for Fever Time to make his appearance.

Cue the music!

_So we roll the dice see where they may fall~_

Dancing with his friends was probably Ren's favorite part of this surreal experience at Club Velvet. Although he was more partial to freestyle dancing mixed with ballet with just a teeny-tiny hint of inspiration from Michael Jackson, he always made sure to match their pace and tempo. And of all the Fever Time dances, his dance with Makoto had to be his absolute favorite. His heart fluttered each time she flashed him that small smile when he came on stage. It was all for him and it made him dance his heart out.

They popped and locked in sync.

"How's that?" he asked, flashing her his signature smirk.

"You're always surprising me." She winked at him. His heart could've popped out of his chest and cavorted and leaped about on its own.

They slid across the floor in a semi-circle, twisting and turning this way and that as they rolled and snapped their arms to the beat of the music. They slid towards each other and popped their elbows as close to each other as they dared (both grinning broadly from the motion and from the proximity of their arms nearly brushing each other) before smoothly sliding in the opposite direction and popping their elbows in sync once more.

_~Who knows where the whims of fate may lead us~_

With a smooth pivot and a wave of his hand he gracefully exited, as if Baton Passing the rest of the dance to her.

Makoto waved her hand. "It was an honor to dance with you. Thank you."

As the music faded, Makoto finished her dance, smiling brightly and posing with her fist resting in her chin.

Ren clapped his hands. "Nicely done, Queen!"

She blushed and curtsied. "I, I think that might've been a new record."

One dance was simply too short. Encore?

_But Ren probably wouldn't want to dance the same dance twice in a row. _She tapped her chin. _Since we're here again..._

"Ren? Could you come back to the stage, please?"

He leapt back onto the stage and kneeled before her. "Yes, my Queen?"

She pressed the tips of her fingers together. "I was just thinking if we could try another dance style?"

He tilted his head.

"Uh, well, you know how you adapt yourself to match our Fever Times? I want to try doing something like that."

Stepping out of her comfort zone, huh? Even in a dream, Makoto was still Makoto.

He nodded. "Sure thing. What would you like to start with?"

What indeed? Something elegant like ballet? Something free-spirited like hip hop dancing? Or cute like tap dancing? No, it was only cute when Futaba was the one dancing.

_I'd just look silly! _she thought as she imagined herself making cat paws and kicking her legs to and fro like Futaba did.

Then again, she couldn't be as showy as Ann nor as graceful as Haru - no, no, no. Stop. She was doing it again. Every time she wanted to try something new or different, she would allow her doubts and fears discourage her. But this was a dream! This was no time to be self-conscious! Anything was possible and everything they did was inconsequential… right?

_Right!_

She made two fists, hardening her resolve. "B-ballet. Like Haru."

Ren raised his eyebrows before nodding his head twice. In combat boots? _Ah well. Anything's possible in a dream. Right? Right._

"Cue the music!" she called.

Makoto raised her arms over her head and attempted a plié followed by a jeté. Her movements were stiff, wooden and she found it difficult to stay on tiptoes. _This isn't quite right. Imagine how Haru does it. Just follow the rhythm. You can do this._

She attempted a pirouette next but fell backwards. Ren quickly caught her and transformed her loss of balance into a graceful dip.

She laughed awkwardly and slowly released her grip on his sleeve. "I always liked it when you dipped Haru during her dance. I um, wanted to try it myself."

He only smiled and righted her.

"Um, could we try the other thing you do where she stands on one leg and leans forward?"

He bowed slightly. "Milady, your hand please."

She took it and tipped forward, extending one leg in the Arabesque position before quickly setting her foot back down. Ren held her steady the entire time.

Even her balance was no good. She felt like a wobbling duckling walking on stilts.

"That was pretty good for a first try." he said.

She pursed her lips. "It was different. I think I put too much effort into my own dancing. Ballet might be too advanced for me at this point."

"Then, do you want to try something else?"

She nodded. "Let's."

They tried another dance but he could tell Makoto wasn't feeling it. She released his hands and pulled on her gloves. She walked to the edge of the stage and exhaled softly.

He came beside her and tilted his head. "Everything okay?"

Makoto rubbed her eyes as if they were overstimulated from the incessant blinking lights all around them. "I...I'm just a little tired."

Ren smiled knowingly and stretched his arms. "Know what? Me too. Let's take a break."

She heard him walk in the direction of the wide staircase.

"Phew. Nice."

Makoto turned to see that Ren had stepped over one of the rope barriers and was now reclining on the carpeted staircase.

"You do realize there are chairs behind the slot machines?"

"Yeah, but this is more comfortable. Seriously, I've never sat on such plush carpet."

"I think that area's off limits."

He raised his head. "There's no one here besides us. And if a guard or something comes, we'll just move."

He patted the spot next to him. "C'mon. Join me."

Makoto crossed her arms and sighed. Then she hurdled over the rope barrier and bounced into the spot next to him, surveying the Casino stage. He was right. The stairs were cushy. The neon lights from the slot machines, the overhead signs and the palm trees suddenly seemed too bright. She pressed her palms to her eyes.

Ren closed his eyes, letting his head sink into the carpet. "See? Right now, you and I are the only ones in this space."

_It's the Casino alright. Expect there aren't any security guards on my tail, no creepy shadow guards, and no gigantic Sacrificial Pyrekeeper to thwart my path. That stupid Moloch tried to burn me. Didn't stand a chance against Arsène though. Heh. Oh yeah, last time I was here, those two Shadows came running down these stairs. But in this dream, these stairs lead nowhere. And now it's become Makoto's stage. Our dancing Queen. She's the Dancing Queen._

Makoto heard him chuckle to himself. She peeped at him between her fingers. His eyes were still closed and he was mouthing something and smiling at it. Was he sleep talking? _Wait, you don't sleep talk in dreams! That's just redundant! And now he's just entertaining himself because I gave up even though I was the one who wanted to do something different. I know he was being considerate of me. You always are. You're too nice to me._

"I can't dance like you, Ren."

"Huh? Where's this coming from?" he asked, gently tugging on the ends of her red bandana.

She gripped her elbows. "I wanted you to have fun. I like our Fever Time dance but dancing it over and over again would probably bore you. So I thought if I changed my dance style the way you do, you'd have more fun that way."

There was that old habit of hers again. Always worrying about something unnecessary for the sake of other people. He sighed quietly. "It's never boring. Whenever I'm with you, anything we do together is fun."

She only blushed and stared at her boots. He sidled up to her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. "How about you, Makoto? Is it fun being with me?"

He bounced the tip of his chin over her shoulder and it made her giggle. She turned and nuzzled his cheek. "You know the answer to that."

He smirked and snaked his arms around her waist, and pulled her into his lap. She let out a small yelp when he brushed her hair back and began kissing her neck.

"Ren! That tickles! Stop!"

"Make me." he murmured against her soft skin, nibbling at her choker.

She yelped again when she felt him unfasten the buckle of her choker with his teeth.

"Ohh! Honestly!" she whined. She lightly elbowed him in the chest and he released her. Her face and ears burned bright red and she glared at him, daring him to laugh. His mouth twitched and he rolled away from her, covering his mouth. After composing himself, he rolled on his back and stretched out on the stairs. Makoto returned to sitting beside him, hands on her knees gazing at the colorful arena.

"It's strange being aware that this is all a dream. Everything feels so vivid, so real. Except my sense of touch seems muted. I don't feel cold or hot or even out of breath when we dance."

_But, my heart still beats fast whenever we touch. Oh, what am I thinking? This is so embarrassing!_

Ren linked his hands behind his head. "That's the best part. We don't get tired, we don't get sweaty, and all the clothes we wear are incredibly easy to move in. Even changing into them is effortless."

As if to demonstrate, his punk-rock Shujin uniform transformed into his Phantom Thief attire then to his Wizard costume then back again to his punk-rock Shujin uniform. "I wish there was an ice rink stage. I'd love to try triple axels with the infinite stamina we have."

He looked up at her. "Velvet Ice Rink: Skating All Night. Has a nice ring to it don'cha think?"

She laughed. "Don't give those twins any more ideas."

"I think they've got their hands full with their own dances. You know, I don't think they remember why we started this dance party thing in the first place."

"Something, something, and have fun, right?" She rolled her neck and leaned back on her elbows. "You always know how to have fun. Even in a dream."

Ren took her hand and pressed it against his cheek. "It's even more fun because it's a shared dream. With you. With everyone."

He closed his eyes. "But it's only for one night." _And then we'll forget it all. Will I? _

Makoto stroked his hair. "Yeah. So we ought to make the most of it."

His eyes flew open and he sprang to his feet. "Could we do the Fever Time one more time?"

She raised her index finger and winked. "One more."

**_Cue the lights! Cue the music!_**

Makoto and Ren got into position, walking past each other then catching each other's eye as if by surprise. This time Ren sauntered over, took her hands and spun her. She laughed and fell backwards into his embrace, welcoming the spontaneity.

Whims of Fate faded into the background as Ren began singing in her ear, "You are the dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen-"

"I'm actually eighteen." she playfully interjected. He grinned and swung her arms to the beat.

"You can dance," They twirled.

"You can jive," He dipped her. "Having the-"

"-time of your life." she chorused.

"Ooh, something, lalala, something, something..." he mumble-sang.

She laughed. "Those aren't the lyrics!"

"Eh - close enough. English is hard. Lalala, Dancing Queen." He finished singing then shrugged.

She spun around to face him, slightly breathless and incredibly happy. Ren beamed. There was that million dollar smile he was going for.

Makoto reached up and plucked some playing card-themed confetti that had settled in his frizzy hair.

She giggled. "That's the only problem with this stage. Non-stop confetti."

"My stage is like that too. Complete with a billion monitors all on the same channel and a big honking daruma doll." He rolled his eyes. "I'll never understand some people."

"Interesting decor aside, I will admit, the floor is very nice to slide on." She pressed closer and he moved his hands down and around her waist. "Should we go there next?"

He flashed his trademark smirk. "I dunno, I kinda like how we are right now."

**KING CRAZY!**

They both raised their heads towards the ceiling.

"Sounds like someone broke a new record." said Makoto. "Let's go cheer them on."

He pumped his fist. "Yeah. Let's go!"

They joined hands and raced out of the casino stage, ready to dance the night away with their friends.


End file.
